Obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists in Texas say people with possibly life-threatening pregnancies are having a hard time getting a recommended abortion, since Texas’ six-week abortion ban went into effect on Sept. 1.
The state's abortion ban, known as SB 8, prohibits the procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy — which is before many people even realize they are pregnant. Under the law, private citizens are allowed to sue anyone who provides an abortion after six weeks, as well as anyone "who aids and abets" someone who gets the procedure after six weeks.
During an online discussion Thursday hosted by the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin, Dr. Lorie Harper — a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and professor at Dell Med — said SB 8 has made it more difficult to care for women who have physically dangerous pregnancies.